Fireworks erupt over Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on December 31, delighting the hundreds of thousands of people who have come to celebrate both the Feast of lemanja and New Year's Eve. Reflecting Brazil's cultural diversity, this traditional spectacle combines native, African, and Christian beliefs and rituals. Clad in blue and white, the colors of lemanja, the goddess of all waters, celebrants cast offerings into the water just before midnight, asking lemanja for her protection and blessing. The oferendas includes flowers, food, candles, and perfume. At the stroke of midnight, fireworks explode overhead, and the throngs sing and dance to celebrate the new year. Book jacket.